Rat guard for ship

ABSTRACT

A rat guard for a ship, installed on a rope which connects a quay and a ship, to prevent hygiene-threatening animals, such as rats, snakes and cats from boarding the ship. The rat guard comprises a first plate defined with a first rope groove in a center portion of a right end thereof to be placed on one side in a lengthwise direction of the rope; a second plate defined with a second rope groove in a center portion of a left end thereof to be placed on the other side in the lengthwise direction of the rope; and a hinge part for hingedly coupling the first and second plates with each other using a hinge pin which is passed through the first and second plates at a position above and spaced apart from the first and second rope grooves by a predetermined distance.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application claims foreign priority under Paris Convention and 35U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0080991, filedAug. 25, 2006 with the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a rat guard for a ship and, moreparticularly, to a rat guard for a ship which is installed to preventhygiene-threatening animals, such as rats, snakes and cats, fromboarding a ship along a rope while the ship is docked in a quay.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In general, marine transportation means such as ships must be docked ata quay for a certain period in order to unload cargo or passengers or tobe supplied with fuel or articles needed for sailing.

The docked transportation means is prevented from moving away from thequay by tying a rope on a ship to a support structure on a quay. At thistime, in order to prevent hygiene-threatening animals, such as rats,snakes and cats, which inhabit warehouses on the quay, from boarding aship by moving along the rope, a rat guard for a ship is installed onthe rope. The conventional rat guard for preventing the entry of rats orthe like into a ship is illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, in the conventional rat guard, a groove 102 isdefined in a circular plate 100 in such a way as to extend from theperiphery to the center of the circular pate 100. A rotation door 110 tobe fitted in the groove 102 is hingedly coupled to the plate 100 on oneside of the groove 102 by means of hinge pins 112. The rotation door 110can be fastened and locked to the plate 100 on the other side of thegroove 102 by means of a conventional locking member 120.

The conventional rat guard, constructed as mentioned above, is installedin a manner such that the rotation door 110 is rotated in one directionto open the groove 102, a rope 130 is inserted into the groove 102 to beplaced at the inner end of the groove 102, the rotation door 110 isrotated in the other direction to close the groove 102, and the rotationdoor 110 is locked to the plate 100 by means of the locking member 120,so that hygiene-threatening animals, such as rats, snakes and cats, areprevented from boarding a ship.

However, in the conventional rat guard, in order to close the groove102, a user must directly rotate the rotation door 110 in bothdirections. However, since it is not easy for the user to reach therotation door 110 when the length of the rope 130 is substantial, it isdifficult to directly rotate the rotation door 110.

In consideration of this, while some users use the rat guard with thegroove 102 open, because rats or the like can then pass through the opengroove 102, even though the plate 100 is installed on the rope 130,rats, etc. can board a ship, thus compromising hygiene or infectingpeople with diseases.

Further, if the plate 100 is installed on the rope 130 with the groove120 open, when the rope 130 is severely shaken by sea wind or waves, theplate 100 is likely to be released from the rope 130, and rats or thelike can easily board a ship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the presentinvention is to provide a rat guard for a ship which is simplyconstructed using a first plate and a second plate so as to remove thespace through which rats or the like inhabiting a quay can board a shipalong a rope.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of thepresent invention, there is provided a rat guard for a ship, installedon a rope which is connected to a quay and a ship, to preventhygiene-threatening animals, such as rats, snakes and cats, fromboarding the ship, the rat guard comprising a first plate defined with afirst rope groove in the center portion of a right end thereof to beplaced on one side of the rope in the lengthwise direction of the rope;a second plate defined with a second rope groove in the center portionof a left end thereof to be placed on the other side of the rope in thelengthwise direction of the rope; and a hinge part for hingedly couplingthe first and second plates with each other using a hinge pin whichpasses through the first and second plates at a position separatedupwards from the first and second rope grooves by a predetermineddistance.

According to another aspect of the present invention, connection holesare respectively defined through the left upper portion of the firstplate and the right upper portion of the second plate adjacent to outerperipheries of the first and second plates, and an operation cord isconnected through the connection holes, so that the rotation of thefirst and second plates can be controlled by moving the operation cordupwards and downwards.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a guide projectionis formed on one of the first and second plates which can be rotatedaround the hinge part, and a guide slot is defined through the other ofthe first and second plates, so that the guide projection is insertedthrough and moved along the guide slot to guide the rotation of thefirst and second plates.

According to another aspect of the present invention, position-fixingprotuberances are projectedly formed on edges of the first and secondrope grooves, which face the rope, so that, when the first and secondplates are positioned around the rope with the rope extending throughthe first and second rope grooves, the position-fixing protuberances aredriven into the rope to fix the installation position of the rat guard.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the hinge part isprovided with a washer which has protuberances on the outer surfacethereof to be driven into the rope extending through the first andsecond rope grooves.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a weight isprovided on the lower end of at least one of the first and second platesso that the first and second plates are prevented from being releasedfrom the rope by external shock.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in order toprevent the first and second plates from being rotated beyond apredetermined angle, an engagement piece is projectedly formed on thefirst plate at a position that is engaged with the left end of thesecond plate to restrain the rotation of the second plate or on thesecond plate at a position to be engaged with the right end of the firstplate to restrain the rotation of the first plate.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, anengagement tab is formed adjacent to the lower left or lower right endof one of the first and second plates, which is not formed with theengagement piece, to project toward the other of the first and secondplates, which is not formed with the engagement tab.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional rat guard for aship;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a rat guard for aship in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the open state of the rat guard for a shipin accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the closed state of the rat guard for aship in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the open state of a rat guard for a shipin accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the closed state of the rat guard for aship in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodimentof the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be usedthroughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or likeparts.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a rat guard for aship in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in accordance with a first embodiment of thepresent invention, a rat guard for a ship, installed on a rope 50 (seeFIG. 3) which connects a quay and a ship, to prevent hygiene-threateninganimals such as rats, snakes and cats from boarding the ship, has asimple construction which includes a first plate 10, a second plate 20,and a hinge part for hingedly coupling the first and second plates 10and 20 with each other.

The first and second plates 10 and 20 have a predetermined size whichdoes not permit the passage of a rat or the like, and are formed to havea semi-circular shape. The first and second plates 10 and 20 are coupledwith each other in a manner such that the left and right ends of therespective first and second plates 10 and 20, which have a lengthcorresponding to the diameter of a circle, face each other. The ratguard has a first rope groove 11, a second rope groove 21, the hingepart, connection holes 13 and 23, a guide slot 14, a guide projection24, weights 15 and 25, an engagement piece 26, an engagement tab 16, andlocking holes 17 and 27.

The first rope groove 11 is defined at the center portion of the rightend of the first plate 10 to have a concave shape so that the firstplate 10 can be placed on one side of the rope 50 in the lengthwisedirection of the rope 50.

The second rope groove 21 is defined at the center portion of the leftend of the second plate 20 to have a concave shape corresponding to thatof the first rope groove 11 so that the second plate 20 can be placed onthe other side of the rope 50 in the lengthwise direction of the rope50.

Position-fixing protuberances 11 a and 21 a are projectedly formed onthe edges of the first and second rope grooves 11 and 21 which face therope 50, so that, when the first and second plates 10 and 20 arepositioned around the rope 50 with the rope 50 extending through thefirst and second rope grooves 11 and 21, the position-fixingprotuberances 11 a and 21 a are driven into the rope 50 to fix theinstallation position of the rat guard on the rope 50.

The hinge part includes hinge holes 12 and 22 which are defined throughthe respective first and second plates 10 and 20, and a hinge pin 30(see FIG. 3) which is inserted through the hinge holes 12 and 22. Indetail, the hinge holes 12 and 22 are defined through the respectivefirst and second plates 10 and 20 at positions which are separatedupwards from the first and second rope grooves 11 and 21 of the firstand second plates 10 and 20 by a predetermined distance, such that thehinge holes 12 and 22 communicate each other. The hinge pin 30 isinserted through the hinge holes 12 and 22. In this way, the first andsecond plates 10 and 20 are hingedly coupled with each other.

The connection holes 13 and 23 are defined to allow an operation cord 40(see FIG. 3), which will be described later, to be connected to thefirst and second plates 10 and 20. The connection holes 13 and 23 arerespectively perforated, in the shape of through-holes, through the leftupper portion of the first plate 10 and the right upper portion of thesecond plate 20 adjacent to the outer peripheries of the first andsecond plates 10 and 20. The operation cord 40 is connected to the firstand second plates 10 and 20 through the connection holes 13 and 23. Theupper end of the operation cord 40 is formed as one strand that iseasily grasped by a user, and the lower end of the operation cord 40 isdivided into two strands that are respectively connected to the firstand second plates 10 and 20 through the connection holes 13 and 23.

As a consequence, when the first and second plates 10 and 20 areinstalled around the rope 50, the user can easily place the rat guard ata desired position by manipulating the operation cord 40. Further, therotation of the first and second plates 10 and 20 on the rope 50 can becontrolled by moving the operation cord 40 upwards and downwards.

The guide slot 14 and the guide projection 24 function to guide therotation of the first and second plates 10 and 20 around the hinge pin30, which are hingedly coupled with each other by the hinge part. Theguide projection 24 is formed on one of the first and second plates 10and 20, which are rotated around the hinge part, and the guide slot 14is defined through the other of the first and second plates 10 and 20,so that the guide projection 24 is inserted through and moved along theguide slot 14 to guide the rotation of the first and second plates 10and 20. In the present embodiment, the guide slot 14 is defined on onesurface of the first plate 10, and the guide projection 24 is formed onthe facing surface of the second plate 20 at a position that correspondsto the guide slot 14. Therefore, the guide slot 14 and the guideprojection 24 perform a guiding function so that the first and secondplates 10 and 20 can be smoothly rotated with respect to each other.

The weights 15 and 25 are secured to respective lower ends of the firstand second plates 10 and 20. Accordingly, when the rope 50, which isplaced to extend through the first and second rope grooves 11 and 21 ofthe first and second plates 10 and 20, is shaken by external forces suchas sea wind or waves, the first and second plates 10 and 20 areprevented from being released from the rope 50 by the mass of theweights 15 and 25.

When the first and second plates 10 and 20 are rotated with respect toeach other, in order to prevent the right end of the first plate 10 andthe left end of the second plate 20 from being rotated beyond apredetermined angle, the engagement piece 26 is projectedly formed onthe first plate 10 at a position such that it is engaged with the leftend of the second plate 20 to restrain the rotation of the second plate20, or on the second plate 20 at a position such that it is engaged withthe right end of the first plate 10 to restrain the rotation of thefirst plate 10. In the present embodiment, the engagement piece 26 isprojectedly formed on the second plate 20 at a position that is engagedwith the right end of the first plate 10 to restrain the rotation of thefirst plate 10.

Therefore, if the first and second plates 10 and 20 are rotated withrespect to each other by the predetermined angle, as the right end ofthe first plate 10 is engaged with the engagement piece 26 of the secondplate 20, the first and second plates 10 and 20 are prevented from beingrotated beyond the predetermined angle. Due to this fact, it is alsopossible to prevent the guide projection 24 of the second plate 20 frombeing released from the guide slot 14 of the first plate 10.

The engagement tab 16 is formed adjacent to the lower end on the leftend or the right end of one of the first and second plates 10 and 20,which is not formed with the engagement piece 26, to project toward theother of the first and second plates 10 and 20, which is not formed withthe engagement tab 16. In the present embodiment, the engagement tab 16is formed on the right end of the first plate 10 to project toward theleft end of the second plate 20 so that the left end of the second plate20 can be engaged with the engagement tab 16.

The locking holes 17 and 27 are respectively defined through the lowerends of the right and left ends of the first and second plates 10 and20. A locking member is inserted and locked through the locking holes 17and 27 to prevent the first and second plates 10 and 20, installed onthe rope 50, from being unintentionally rotated thereon.

Hereafter, the functioning of the rat guard for a ship in accordancewith the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the open state of the rat guard for a shipin accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 4 is a view illustrating the closed state of the rat guard for aship in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in accordance with the first embodiment ofthe present invention, the rat guard for a ship, installed on the rope50 which connects a quay and a ship, to prevent hygiene-threateninganimals such as rats, snakes and cats from boarding the ship, isprovided. In order to install the rat guard on the rope 50, theoperation rope 40, which is connected to the first and second plates 10and 20 through the connection holes 13 and 23, is pulled upwards.

Then, as the first and second plates 10 and 20, which are connected tothe lower end of the operation cord 40, are rotated around the hinge pin30, the predetermined angle is defined between the right end of thefirst plate 10 and the left end of the second plate 20. At this time,the first and second plates 10 and 20 are stably rotated while beingguided along the guide slot 14 by the guide projection 24 and areprevented from being rotated beyond the predetermined angle by thepresence of the engagement piece 26.

Thereafter, the rope 50 is fitted between the first and second plates 10and 20 such that it is placed in the first rope groove 11 of the firstplate 10 and the second rope groove 21 of the second plate 20.

The user can place the first and second plates 10 and 20 at a desiredposition on the rope 50 by manipulating the operation cord 40.

Thereupon, when releasing the operation cord 40, which is pulledupwards, the first and second plates 10 and 20, which are widened todefine the predetermined angle therebetween, are rotated in oppositedirections by the mass of the weights 15 and 25 which are respectivelymounted to the first and second plates 10 and 20, to be pressed againstthe rope 50 in the first and second rope grooves 11 and 21. At thistime, as the position-fixing protuberances 11 a and 21 a, which areformed on the edges of the first and second rope grooves 11 and 21, aredriven into and fastened to the rope 50, the first and second plates 10and 20 are firmly fixed to the rope 50, whereby the rat guard isprevented from moving along the rope 50.

As the engagement tab 16, which is formed on the right end of the firstplate 10, is engaged with the left end of the second plate 20, the firstand second plates 10 and 20 are prevented from being rotated further,and are fixedly held on the rope 50.

In this way, as the first and second plates 10 and 20 are widened todefine the predetermined angle therebetween through the manipulation ofthe operation cord 40, the rope 50 can be placed between the first andsecond rope grooves 11 and 21.

Next, in an effort to prevent rats or the like from boarding a shipthrough the space defined between the first and second plates 10 and 20,by rotating the first and second plates 10 and 20 in oppositedirections, the space is removed. Further, the first and second plates10 and 20 are firmly fixed to the rope 50 by the position-fixingprotuberances 11 a and 21 a. As a result, it is possible to prevent ratsor the like inhabiting a quay from boarding a ship along the rope 50.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the open state of a rat guard for a shipin accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 6 is a view illustrating the closed state of the rat guard for aship in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in accordance with a second embodiment ofthe present invention, a rat guard for a ship, installed on a rope 50(see FIG. 3) which connects a quay and a ship, to preventhygiene-threatening animals such as rats, snakes and cats from boardingthe ship, is provided. The rat guard according to this embodiment isconstructed in the same manner as that of the first embodiment exceptthat the position-fixing protuberances 11 a and 21 a (see FIG. 3), whichare formed in the first and second rope grooves 11 and 21 in the firstembodiment, are eliminated, and a washer 60 is additionally installed onthe hinge pin 30 (see FIG. 3) of the hinge part.

In the first and second plates 10 and 20, which are formed to have asemi-circular shape, the first rope groove 11 and the second rope groove21 are respectively defined on the right end of the first plate 10 andthe left end of the second plate 20, which face each other. The ratguard has connection holes 13 and 23, a guide slot 14, a guideprojection 24, weights 15 and 25, an engagement piece 26, and anengagement tab 16.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the position-fixingprotuberances 11 a and 21 a (see FIG. 3), which are formed in the firstand second rope grooves 11 and 21 in the first embodiment, areeliminated, and the washer 60 is additionally installed on the hinge pin30 (see FIG. 3) which is inserted through the hinge holes 12 and 22 andis integrally rotated with the hinge pin 30.

In the first embodiment, if the rope 50 is not placed simultaneously inthe first and second rope grooves 11 and 21, as either one of theposition-fixing protuberances 11 a and 21 a comes into contact with therope 50, the entire rat guard tends to be inclined toward the other ofthe position-fixing protuberances 11 a and 21 a. In the present secondembodiment, since the position-fixing protuberances 11 a and 21 a areeliminated and the washer 60 is installed on the hinge pin 30 which iscentrally positioned through the first and second plates 10 and 20, itis possible to prevent the rat guard from being inclined to one side.

The washer 60 is formed to have a circular configuration. Preferably,the washer 60 is formed as a toothed lock washer having a plurality ofprotuberances on the outer periphery thereof.

As the first and second plates 10 and 20 are rotated throughmanipulation of the operation cord 40 to thus become spaced apart fromeach other, the rope 50 is fitted into the space defined between thefirst and second plates 10 and 20. When the rope 50 is placed betweenthe first and second rope grooves 11 and 21 of the first and secondplates 10 and 20, the outer periphery of the washer 60 is positioned onthe rope 50 and at least one of the protuberances formed on the outerperiphery of the washer 60 is driven into the rope 50, by which thefirst and second plates 10 and 20 are prevented from sliding on the rope50.

Then, by rotating the first and second plates 10 and 20 in oppositedirections to prevent rats or the like from boarding a ship, the spacedefined between the first and second plates 10 and 20 is removed.Thereby, since the first and second plates 10 and 20 are firmly fixed tothe rope 50 by the washer 60, it is possible to prevent rats or the likeinhabiting on a quay from boarding a ship along the rope 50.

As described above, the rat guard according to the present invention hasa simple construction which includes the first plate and the secondplate, and is stably placed on and firmly fastened to the rope throughmanipulation of the operation cord, so that a gap is not produced in therat guard so as to prevent a rat from boarding a ship.

As is apparent from the above description, the rat guard for a shipaccording to the present invention provides advantages in that the ratguard is simply constructed using a first plate and a second plate so asto remove the space through which rats or the like inhabiting a quay canboard a ship along a rope.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. A rat guard for a ship, installed on a rope which connects a quay anda ship, to prevent hygiene-threatening animals, such as rats, snakes andcats, from boarding the ship, the rat guard comprising: a first platedefined with a first rope groove in a center portion of a right endthereof to be placed on one side of the rope in a lengthwise directionof the rope; a second plate defined with a second rope groove in acenter portion of a left end thereof to be placed on the other side ofthe rope in the lengthwise direction of the rope; and a hinge part forhingedly coupling the first and second plates with each other using ahinge pin which is passed through the first and second plates at aposition above and spaced apart from the first and second rope groovesby a predetermined distance.
 2. The rat guard according to claim 1,wherein respective connection holes are defined through a left upperportion of the first plate and a right upper portion of the secondplate, adjacent to outer peripheries of the first and second plates, andan operation cord is connected through the connection holes, so thatrotation of the first and second plates can be controlled by moving theoperation cord upwards and downwards.
 3. The rat guard according toclaim 1, wherein a guide projection is formed on one of the first andsecond plates, which can be rotated around the hinge part, and a guideslot is defined through the other of the first and second plates, sothat the guide projection is inserted through and moved along the guideslot to guide rotation of the first and second plates.
 4. The rat guardaccording to claim 1, wherein position-fixing protuberances areprojectedly formed on edges of the first and second rope grooves, whichface the rope, so that, when the first and second plates are positionedaround the rope with the rope extending through the first and secondrope grooves, the position-fixing protuberances are driven into the ropeto fix an installation position of the rat guard.
 5. The rat guardaccording to claim 1, wherein the hinge part is provided with a washerwhich has protuberances on an outer surface thereof to be driven intothe rope extending through the first and second rope grooves.
 6. The ratguard according to claim 1, wherein a weight is provided to a lower endof at least one of the first and second plates so that the first andsecond plates are prevented from being released from the rope byexternal shock.
 7. The rat guard according to claim 1, wherein, in orderto prevent the first and second plates from being rotated beyond apredetermined angle, an engagement piece is projectedly formed on thefirst plate at a position such that it is engaged with the left end ofthe second plate to restrain rotation of the second plate or on thesecond plate at a position such that it is engaged with the right end ofthe first plate to restrain rotation of the first plate.
 8. The ratguard according to claim 1, wherein an engagement tab is formed adjacentto a lower end on the left end or the right end of one of the first andsecond plates, which is not formed with the engagement piece, to projecttoward the other of the first and second plates, which is not formedwith the engagement tab.